radio controlled door locks... dumbest shit ever!

lost_soul · December 7, 2013

My brother's brand new car got broken into recently. I use "broken" loosely, because the thieves didn't actually have to break anything to get in. Many of these new cars can be unlocked remotely from the electronic key-fob. Sure enough, people have been spoofing this for a long time. They were talking about it on Security Now a few months ago. This means that a prepared burgler can just go up to a car in the public, open it and take things without even looking suspitious. He doesn't have to break a window, or pick a lock, or do ANYTHING that causes people around him to consider him "up to no good". "He's just an ordinary guy getting something from his car."

I seem to be the single person who sees something wrong with this situation. We all know that when it comes to computers and technology, there are people out there who aren't out to rob you, but who enjoy just breaking things for the hell of it. Sometimes these researchers find a security flaw and they go to the manufacturer and say: "We found this flaw with your security system. You have two months to fix it, or else we will tell the whole world all about it." So, now the manufacturer gets to issue patches to fix exploits like this... and what happens when somebody finds the master key and breaks their door lock system for good? What happens when the researchers find exploits for YOUR car that was made half a decade ago, whose manufacturer stopped giving a damn about it ages ago? They won't patch anything at that point, even if they are able to.

This whole thing seems like an overpriced scam to me.

More info here: http://www.interferencetechnology.com/keyless-entry-theft-on-the-rise-as-thieves-identify-high-tech-means-to-unlock-cars-remotely/

Edited December 7, 2013 by lost_soul

December 7, 2013

Well, the problem is not so much the idea of controlling doorlocks from a distance. There are secure protocols for that, as well as various Smartcard technologies to keep the keys secure.

The problem is that the companies utilizing these things often don't use the right technology or simply implement it badly, allowing for easy entrance.

Another thing that contributes is that a lot of the systems they use are proprietary, and as such they haven't been looked at by outside eyes. There's a saying in cryptography: "Anyone can make a cipher they can't break. The hard thing is making a cipher that others can't break", and the same goes for implementing a security protocol. This means that proprietary implementations will be more likely to have security issues.

A way to fix any issues in old cars would be to ask a garage to cut the power cord to the receiving antenna. It's probably an easy fix (provided you can locate the antenna) and easily reparable should you want to. However, you'd need to make sure the locks still work when you do that.